Curatorial Studies Alum Enjoys Working in The Galleries

Every
few months for two weeks you’ll find Kuder perched on a ladder, hammering,
drilling holes or painting the walls in The Galleries at Moore.

Kuder,
a Curatorial Studies alumni, enjoys working part-time in the galleries, helping
to install and de-install exhibitions while working with artists and students.

“Since
I was a kid I always worked with tools, helping my dad around the house,” she
said. “I think I was the only one in our graduating class [of curatorial
studies majors] that chose to minor in Fine Arts-3D. I took small metals and
welding. I like constructing things and making stuff.”

Kuder
began her time in The Galleries as a work-study student after transferring to
Moore as a sophomore from the University of Houston. After graduating from
Moore, she stayed on in The Galleries.

“Since I was a Curatorial Studies major at the time, I figured I would work in
the galleries and observe, see what I could do,” she said. “The Mary McFadden
exhibit was up and they had me touch up paint and dust mantles and eventually
it just bloomed into more responsibility.”

Any
given week on the job can involve de-installing the current show, packing up
the art and returning it to the artist or institution, cleaning the gallery,
painting the walls – all before the date that a new artist is coming in with
his or her new artwork. Then Kuder, along with two other installers, unpacks
the new artwork, is given a floor layout, gets all the hardware together and
begins installing the new show.

Her
favorite part of the installation process, Kuder said, is “meeting the artist
and talking to him or her about their art, getting a sense of what they want
out of it, and hopefully we hit that on target,” she said. “Some artists are
really demanding and some are flexible and are looking for us to help answer
their questions. We don’t decide for them, we just guide them. It’s their art
and how it sits is their decision [and the Gallery director’s].”

Kuder
learned about Moore while attending a portfolio day in Houston, Texas in search
of a College that offered curatorial studies at the BFA level. There were none.
Moore’s is the first undergraduate program of its kind in the country.

“When
I found Moore, I said I’m definitely going there,” she said. ``If this is
something you want to do as a career [curatorial studies], it’s a good
foundation versus just a background in fine arts. I wanted to work with artists
within a gallery and be part of a group that puts it all together…I liked the
group we had here. It was a small class and we wrestled and played and had
ideas and pushed down walls. Most of my group was pretty ambitious. We were all
likeminded and go-getters.”

Kuder
is still a go-getter today. Besides her work at Moore, she holds down three
other jobs, including a freelance writing job for a private art collector
opening up a gallery.

“No
matter where I go, I always want to keep my hands in the arts,” she said.
“Working at the gallery keeps me there and my freelance work keeps me there. It
taps into something that answers an itch that I have.”

Kuder
finds it particularly gratifying helping artists and students “think around the
corners” when it comes to their artwork.

“I think that installation is the last thing people think about and it should
really be the first,” she said. “I’m not looking for my name on the wall. I’m
looking at someone else’s name on the wall. That’s where I’m a regular Joe. I’m
not looking to make a splash.”